As Halloween approaches, now's the time to start working on some spooky holiday builds for a Minecraft world. From corn mazes to pumpkin patches, there are plenty of ways to bring the autumn season to Minecraft, but players looking to make things a little scarier might want to instead turn to something like a haunted house. These buildings would make for a truly unique base or could just serve as a scary landmark in a survival world. Fortunately, there are plenty of building techniques to utilize when considering how to get started. Here are a few creative tips for building a haunted house in Minecraft.
Although the Caves & Cliffs Part 2 update is still a month or two away, according to October 16's Minecraft Live presentation, the update's blocks are still available to use thanks to June's release of Caves & Cliffs Part 1. This means there are more building materials than ever available for construction purposes, including brand-new stone types such as deepslate and tuff. It's worth noting, however, that the maximum world height and depth have yet to be modified and therefore the usual build constraints still apply, even in newly-generated Minecraft worlds. This will also change later on this holiday season with the release of Minecraft 1.18.
In addition, players looking to build their haunted house in a spookier-looking biome might want to wait until 2022's The Wild update to do so. The next big Minecraft update will bring with it the Deep Dark and its new mob the Warden, both of which were originally planned to release during 2021's holiday season alongside Caves & Cliffs Part 2. The Wild update will also overhaul swamps, adding things like fireflies to create more ominous nighttime lighting. That said, there are still some easy ways to make use of available materials and biomes while constructing a haunted house in Minecraft this Halloween.
Minecraft Haunted House Build Ideas - Keep It Dark
When most people think of a haunted house, they probably think of something black and grey. This classic gothic appearance is what YouTube user Kelpie The Fox appears to be going for in their Minecraft haunted house build, which also includes a starkly pointed witch's tower, barred windows, and plenty of books and candles on the interior. It's a great mix between a cozy autumn Minecraft hideout and a grim haunted locale, especially once spiderwebs and blue lanterns are added around the house, making it perfect for the Halloween season.
Minecraft Haunted House Build Ideas - Nether Blocks
The nether is arguably one of the most alarming areas in Minecraft, full of powerful enemies and surrounded by lava that makes it both challenging and dangerous to navigate. Most of the nether appears red thanks to the distinct coloring of netherrack blocks, which can be found in abundance. What better way to make use of it than creating an eerie-looking haunted house in Minecraft? This build by Shock Frost on YouTube does just that, using nether brick blocks of various different cuts to accentuate a stone and dark oak wood mansion.
True to form for most haunted houses, the interior of this build can be a little difficult to navigate, giving an advantage to any players looking to live there and defend it against others. It's also multi-leveled, meaning there's plenty of opportunities to look down upon the surrounding area. Players could even surround their Minecraft base with overgrown trees and spiderwebs to help their haunted house fit right into an equally haunted forest; or, if they're really dedicated, remove lights from the outdoors so that monsters will spawn in as a natural defense. There's even the possibility of placing a nether portal somewhere inside the haunted house, allowing easy access to more explorable areas as well as a nice accent to this nether-themed Minecraft design idea.
Minecraft Haunted House Build Ideas - Jack-o-Lantern Lights
Another great use of nether materials can be seen in YouTuber Yohey The Android's haunted house build, which utilizes warped wood from the nether to make a house that appears an eerie green-blue color, especially in low lighting. As an extra detail, they've hung jack-o-lanterns on chains from the top of the roof, allowing the lit pumpkins to serve as Halloween-themed lanterns. While the overall lighting is relatively dim as a result, that won't be much of a problem come Caves & Cliffs Part 2, which changes mob conditions to only allow them to spawn in pitch darkness rather than any unlit area. Candles, which were just added with Caves & Cliffs Part 1, can also be a great low light source for a haunted house build.
Minecraft Haunted House Build Ideas - Glowstone Windows
It might be frightening to stumble upon a seemingly empty house while exploring only to then notice that there are lights in the windows and smoke coming from the chimneys, and that exact idea is what Minecraft player BlueNerd Minecraft on YouTube utilized when creating their version of a haunted house. Glowstone covered with iron bars creates the perfect illusion of an illuminated window, and campfires placed on top of chimneys make it look as though the smoke is coming from a lit fireplace.
The haunted house is accented by red brick and nether quartz columns, giving it an austere and intimidating appearance. Blackstone atop the roof can is a material that can be gathered from the nether, and it accents the red and white of the rest of the build well. Jack-o-lanterns and mismatched pathways help complete the Halloween aesthetic. There's also plenty of room to be found inside the mansion, meaning that it could serve as a great base in a survival multiplayer world. It's easy to picture this haunted house sitting out somewhere in the woods in Minecraft, waiting for players to venture close enough to try and loot it.
Minecraft Haunted House Build Ideas - Spiderwebs & Foliage
One of the easiest ways to make a haunted house look abandoned in Minecraft is to make it appear overgrown. Minecraft player BlueBits does just that on their YouTube channel, making use of vines, foliage from trees, and spiderwebs to make the exterior of their haunted house look truly empty. It's a uniquely creative way to make use of some of the more organic building materials available in Minecraft, helping to shape an otherwise ordinary building into a creepy haunted house just in time for Halloween.
Source: Shock Frost, BlueNerd Minecraft, BlueBits, Yohey The Android, Kelpie The Fox